Steering gear



w. 2o, 1923. y 1,449,35 F. W` SEECK STEERING GEAR FLM/NAND W 5556K,

/N vENToR,

@Y ATT'Y.

Mar. 26, i923, 1,449,351

F. w. SEECK STEERING GEAR Patented lidar, 2b, i923.

'airain FERDINAND W. SEECK, 03F LEBANON', OREGON.

STEERNG GEAR.

Application filed November 6, 1920. Serial No. 422,219.

To ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it knovvn that I, Familiar-xxi) YV. SEEOK, a citizen ot the UnitedStates. and a resident of the city of Lebanon, county of Linn, and Stateot Oregon. have invented a certain new and usetul Improvement inSteering Gears, ot which the following is a specification. i-

This invention relates to the steering gear of vehicles, and isparticularly designed for automobiles.

The object ot' my invention is to provide a steering gear. of thehand-Wheel type, which includes in the combination of its parts certaindevices, not interfering ivith the usual manipulation ot' thesteering-Wheel, nor rendering it appreciably more difficult to operate,but resisting effectively any reverse action of the parts; that is tosay resisting any appreciable movement ot the steering-Wheel by theknuckle of the steering post, due to a sudden side wrench of the Wheels,as is frequently caused, in the present type ot' steering-gear, byinequalities in the road surface.

lit is furthermore the object of my invention to provide a differentialgear effect, so

as to obtain a leverage action rendering the steering operation easier.

l attain my object in the combination comprising a steering-post, aspindle in axial alinement with the steering-post, the

spindle carrying a steering-knuckle, and being provided withv a fixedring concentric with its axis of rotation, the ring having internalteeth. the steering-post carrying an eccentric hub bearing in said ringof the spindle, and differential motion transmitting elements connectingsaid eccentric hub with the ring of the spindle. and operating totransmit rotary motion to the spindle thru the linear displacement ofthe motion transmitting elements, relative to the circular motion ofsaid eccentric hub.

Details of devices whereby my invention can be carried into practice areshown in the accompanying drawings. in which.

Fig. i is a horizontal section of my device, on the line l-l ot Fig. 2.looking in the direction pointed by the arrow heads;

Fig. E2 is a vertical section of my device, taken on the line 9.2 otFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing an alternateconstruction of my device', this view being taken on the line 3 3 ofFig. 4 looking in the direction pointed by the arrow heads: I

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of my alternate device, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of my device shown in Figs. l and 2, andis identical with Fig. l, showing the movable parts in an advancedposition;

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of the inner cross-head member of mydevice;

Fig. T is a perspective detail of the outer cross-head member ot mydevice;

Fig. S is a perspective view of the housing containing the parts shownin Figs. 6 and 7;

'Fig 9 is a perspective view ot the members of my alternate device; and

Fig. l() is a perspective view of the housing ot my device whenconstructed as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

I will irst describe the .construction and operation of my device asshovvn in Figs. l and 2, and the details shovvn in Figs. 5 to Sinclusive.

A housing a is adapted to be fastened by bolts b, to a rigid member ofthe vehicle, notshown.

The housing is provided with a cover c, adapted to be secured in placeby the capscrews (I. The inner faces of the Walls of the housing aremade with opposite vertical recesses or guidevvays e. and the housinghas a journal-box f. located centrally in its base, (see Fig. S). Thecover c is made with a cylindrical tapped opening located in axialalinement with the journal-box f of the housing; and f/ is a packinggland threaded into said opening. A vertical spindle L has on its upperend a fixed annular-ring z', having'internal teeth and a centrallylocated upwardly projecting stub-shaft 7L. Said spindle 7L is journalledin the journal-box f of the housing. and has a downwardly projecting endon which is fixed a steering-knuckle j. held in place by a nut la.

An outer cross-head Z-for convenience termed primary cross-head--shownby itselt` in Fig. 7. is made with an integral ring having oppositevertical lateral ribs m, adapted to be slidably seated in the recessesor guide-Ways e ot' the housing a; the parts being adapted to permit theprimary crosshead Z a limited linear movement as 'will be apparent bycomparing Figs. l and 5. .The primary cross-head Z is further providedwith opposite vertical slots or guide-ways n.

An inner, or companion cross-head 0, has

a centrally located fixed ring p provided with external teeth andfurther has lateral arms Q adapted to slide in the guide-ways n of' theprimary crosshead Z. See detail of companion cross-head shown in Fig. G;and see also Figs. l and 5.

The external teeth of the ring p of the companion cross-head engage withthe internal teeth of the ring '1' of the spindle h.

As now apparent the primary cross-head 7, and companion cross-head ohave merel)1 relative linear movements along paths at right angles toeach other.

The steering column l' is provided with a hand-wheel s. and on its lowerend is made with a socket adapted to receive the stub shaft h of thespindle It, and thus holding the steering column and spindle in true andconstant axial alinement.

The lower end ot the steering column is further made with an eccentrichub t. adapted to rotate in the annular ring of the companionvcross-head 0. The primary and companion cross-head Z, and 0 are ineffect motion transmitting elements having linear motion. and connectthe eccentric hub ot the steering column wit-h the ring of the spindle.rotating the latter relatively to the circular motion given saideccentric hub.

The general operation of my device, when constructed as described, is asfollows:

The turning of the steering wheel s will transmit. a correspondingrotary movement to the eccentric-hub t and cause a relative displacementof the ring p of the companion cross-head o, and due to the engagementof the external cogs of the ring p with the internal cogs of the ring iof thel spindle It the latter is rotated, and therewith the steeringknuckle j. In other words. the relative movement imparted to the ring pof the companion cross-head 0 by the turning of the steering-wheel dragsthe spindle 7L around with it;l and the-rotation of the spindle isaccomplished with little effort. But a reverse effect-that is to say therotation ot the steering wheel by the rotation of knuckle j, due to asudden twist of the steering wheels, is effectively resisted, becausesince the ring p of the companion cross-head o is a fixed part of thelat-ter and hence cannot rotate, it resists the rotation of the spindle,and the f'orce applied by the ring 1'. of the spindle. in anyinadvertent rotation of' the latter. would be directed along the longestradius of the eccentric hub f with reference to the axis of rotation of'the steering-wheel; and therefore could have no appreciable turningeffect on the latter: ot course there will be some play in the parts,

but the motion so permitted will be negligible.

l `urthern1ore the action of the cooperating parts will be similar to adifferential gear action. Let it be assumed that the ring z' of thespindle L has G0 teeth. and the ring p of the companion cross-head has40 teeth.

Referring to Fig. l. it will be observed that the tooth p of the ring pof the com- ...panion cross-head is bearing on the cog i ot' the ring iof the spindle h.

Assuming the steering-wheel to be turned through an arc oftl", the ringp will relativel \v move so that its cog p2 will engage the tooth 2ofthe ring z'. It will be observed that from cog p to cog p2 is onequarter of the circumference of the gear p, which distance will includethe eight spaces between nine, teeth.

The distance between said cogs z" and 2 is also eight teeth. But sincethere are fifteen cogs in one quarter of the ring ,.it is obvious thatthe ring must be rotated a small degree in order to bringthe cog 2 tothe position shown in Fig. 5. This slight movement will be a dist-anceequal to the space of' five cogs. and means that a quarter revolution ofthe steering-wheel will rotate the steering-knuckle one-twelfth of arevolution. which is the ratio of five cogs'or teeth to the tot-aL-sixtycogs or teeth provided on the ring z' of the spindle L.

. Hence, as obvious, if the steering-knuckle is to be moved one sixth ofa revolution it will be necessary to turn the steering-wheel throughone-half of a revolution.

0f' course the 'ratio of the cogs or teeth of the meshing rings can berearranged so as to produce any other differential movement desired.

In Figs. 3, 4. 9 and 10, I have yshown another construction of mydevice, operating however. identically with the one previouslydescribed.

In the lat-ter construction the housing a is made with an integral,centrally located ring u, provided with exterior peripheral teeth orcogs. See Fig. 10. A hollow cylindrical member n. open at one end, isprovided with internal cogs o adapted to mesh with said cogs of thecentral ring u of the housing a. And the cylindrical member o is furtherprovided with an integral central ring r2 having external peripheralcogs.

The spindle on is the equivalent of the spindle hin the first describedconstruction. It is provided with an integral ring 7'. having teeth onits inner peripheral tace adapted to mesh with the external teethprovided on the central ring v2 of the cylindrical member i'. rThesteering-post 71 is the equivalent ofl thesteering-post 'i'. It isprovided with a hand-wheel s and a socket in its base for mounting onthe stud-shaft h2 of the vshalt. means. an external gear spindle in.And' thesteering-post r is also provided with an erentric 'liuh adaptedto rotate iu the ring e: of the cylindrical niemlier l'.

'l`he eooperation of the produred is'substantiall)v the ol' the devicesparts l1. d', j. and t are the same as like parts bearing similarreference characters, but without exponents, in my first-above describeddevice.

'hile l have deseribed in v motion transmitting means as applied toa'steering gear, it is obvious mv invention has other uses.

l claim.: s

l. diil'erential motion transmitting means roanprising` a housine. meansfor holding housing in place. a power transmitting shaft means havingbearings` in said housing. a rotatabli7 propelled shat't which is heldin axial alinement by and bears in said housing. an internal gear-and astub Shaft lixedly secured and concentric with the axis oi rotation ofsaid propelled shaft,`said stub sha't't seated in and alined with said'power transmitting shaft means. an erentric element operated by thepower transmitting smaller in diameter than said internal rear andmeshing with said internal parts and the eflert samey as that gear beinggyrated by said ecentri element lirst-above desrribed; and the meanscomprising. a housing, means gear, said external y about said stubshaft` but held from. rot-ation about its own axisby primary andcoinpanion motion transmittingr members having lineal motion in saidhousing on paths noia-nal to eat-h other. one of said members sliding inthe other and carrying said external gear` 2. ditlerential Y motiontransmit-ting for holding housing in place` `a power transmitting shaftmeans having bearings in said housing. a rotatabl \v propelled shaftwhich is held in axial alinement by and rbears in said housing. aninternal gear and a stub sha t't tixedly serured and eoneentriewith theaxis of rotation `lot' said propelled shaft, said stub shaftseated inand alined with said-power' transmitting shaft means, an ecrentrieelement operated b v the power transmitting shaft means an external gearsmall- -er in diameter than said internal gear'and meshing with saidinternal gear. said external gear being gvrated by said eceentricelementabout said stub shaft, but held from rotation about its own axisb v primary and companion motion transmitting members havinfav` linealmotion n said housing on paths normal to each other` one ot said membersrarrying said external gear.

FERDINAND W. sEEK;

